“I felt for the first time that by holding that trophy, I felt validated for the work I’ve done in this village for the past 30 years.” “When I got that trophy, she was better than Miss America,” she declared. “It allowed us to be who we were, and to be embraced by our community.”Ĭlements took home the award for best witch. “We tapped into an energy where women were like, ‘I’m with a whole bunch of compatriots,'” Rafi said. When Halloween rolled around, the number had grown to 147, aged 7 to 82, dancing in the Horribles Parade on the main streets from Town Dock to Wickford. Joyce Leach, from Essex, Connecticut, in black, at left, and Witchford chief Nancy Ruffy, right, dance inside the community center at Chase Farms.Įighty-three women appeared together to make the costume.